Home >> Science & Nature >> Animals & Science

What Do Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers Eat?

The yellow-bellied sapsucker, or Sphyrapicus varius, is a type of woodpecker that can be found in its natural woodland and forest habitats in North America. Its range includes middle and eastern parts of the United States and eastern Canada. Yellow-bellied sapsuckers migrate from northern parts of North America to southern parts of the continent in the fall and return in the spring. These birds derive their name from their habit of drilling and consuming sap from trees.

Diet
- The majority of the yellow-bellied sapsucker's diet is comprised of tree sap, fruits, berries and insects. Most of the insects that the bird eats are caught by becoming stuck in the tree sap. Sap is consumed because of its high sugar content. The amount of sap that the yellow-bellied sapsucker feeds on varies at different times of the year. For example, a large part of the bird's diet is made up of fruits and insects when these foods are abundant in the summer months. In winter, when little other food is available, the bird may feed on tree sap alone. Although they feed from more than 1,000 different types of tree, their preferred sources of food include spruce, pine and birch trees.
Feeding Habits
- Yellow-bellied sapsuckers spend a great deal of time using their beaks to drill holes into trees giving them access to the sap they feed on. Their brush-like tongues are very effective at lapping up the tree sap. Sugar-rich sap is the yellow-bellied sapsucker's preferred food when its energy requirements are greatest.
Feeding the Young
- Yellow-bellied sapsuckers nest in trees close to feeding sites, particularly areas that give them easy access to sap. The male bird plays the major role in feeding the young, bringing the chicks insects covered in tree sap. Young yellow-bellied sapsuckers learn to feed on sap before other food such as insects and fruit and can usually leave the nest and feed themselves when they are between three and four weeks old. However, their parents may use food to encourage them out of the nest if they seem unwilling to leave it.
Impact of Feeding Habits
- As yellow-bellied sapsuckers are able to access sap so skilfully, many other animals such as hummingbirds and squirrels like to live in close proximity to them. This allows animals to eat the sap that would be far more difficult for them to extract on their own. Trees that yellow-bellied sapsuckers drill heavily can suffer permanent damage or die, but most trees these birds drill into recover with no adverse consequences.

Animals & Science